Angela: Feelin’ Good with Healthy Foods

I cook because I want us to be healthy now and 40 years from now.

-Angela
#KitchenHero

Angela’s got the right idea – once you start cooking and eating healthier, you’ll continue to cook and eat healthy in the future. That’s because eating healthy makes you feel good and healthy, homemade food tastes absolutely fantastic! As Kitchen Hero Angela discovered, the only things you need to eat healthier are a bit of meal planning (which we do for you!) and lots of simple recipes that you can turn to anytime. Learn how cooking healthier can be an enjoyable and relaxing task with Angela’s Hero in the Kitchen story below.

Name: Angela LudolphAge: 38City, State: Austin, TXI cook for: me and my husband.Outside of the kitchen: I do the normal things – try to be outside, hang out with my husband and dog, and I try to exercise each day.My favorite cuisine is: all of them.I cook because: I want us to be healthy now and 40 years from now. And I like to save money.Favorite Cook Smarts meal so far: That’s a tough one. I will pick the Sausage Stuffed Peppers.

How did you learn to cook?
By following recipes in cookbooks.

What’s been your biggest cooking challenge?
I am not an intuitive cook, so I need to have clear instructions. When I have to make modifications to a recipe, I often mess it up. But I keep trying.

How has your cooking routine changed since starting Cook Smarts’ meal plans?
I used to spend hours each weekend planning our weekly menu, and now I don’t have to think about it. I also felt like I spent all my free time in the evenings cooking and cleaning, but it’s now become so efficient that I look forward to it as a time to chill out. And when I’m not home in time to cook dinner, I just leave the Cook Smarts recipe open on my tablet so my husband can do it.

“I spent all my free time in the evenings cooking and cleaning, but it’s now become so efficient that I look forward to it as a time to chill out.”

Tell us about your proudest kitchen moment.
Every time I plate a fancy-looking meal (like the Stuffed Peppers), and it looks and tastes amazing.

What are your tips for health and success in the kitchen?
Fit in as many veggies as possible and just keep practicing. I’ve also been experimenting with doubling recipes so I can put extras in the freezer. I love when I can feed us in a pinch by pulling something healthy from the freezer.

Thanks, Angela! It’s so awesome to hear that you are practicing and experimenting in the kitchen, and as a result, discovering ways to eat healthy and feel good about it. Also, high five to your husband for helping out with the cooking. Teamwork!